Bedtime for Bugaboos
by tbehartoo
Summary: Adrien has gone to China with Sabine to deal with some family business while Marinette and the kids are staying with Papa Tom until they get back. Bedtime is a little more difficult when you are on opposite sides of the globe. Thank goodness for Skype!


"Mama, when's daddy coming home?"

The question wasn't entirely unexpected, but it was a little sooner than Marinette thought it would come.

"Now Emma," Marinette began as she helped her daughter into her preferred pajamas, a red cotton slip with black dots and black straps, "You know that your Baba went far away to China with Mémé Bien to help with a family matter and that's why we're staying with Papa Tom to help in the bakery." She handed her daughter her toothbrush and pointed at the sink. "And we both told you that it would be a long time before we get to see them again."

Emma nodded at her mother and was about to ask again when she was given a question to answer.

"How many big sleeps did your baba say he'd be gone?" Marinette asked as Emma rinsed her mouth.

"This many," the girl put up both hands with all her fingers extended.

"And how many big sleeps has he been gone?" her mother prompted as she brushed the girl's dark hair and put it in a loose braid to sleep on.

The girl looked down as she tried to count in her head, but Marinette laughed.

"Put out your hands again darling," she instructed her.

Emma was quick to put up her hands and wiggle her fingers as far as they'd go.

"Gently," Marinette prodded a couple of fingers down saying, "He's been gone three nights dearest. How many more before he comes back?"

Marinette pointed to each remaining finger as the girl counted.

"Seven?" was the uncertain reply.

"Yes, my little akuma," Marinette said with a quick hug, "There are only seven nights left before Baba and Mémé get back." She gave her hair one more quick caress to smooth it down before saying, "Do you want to pick out your brother's pajamas for Papa to put him in?"

"Yes!" she shouted and hurried over to the suitcase that Hugo's clothes were stored in. She rummaged through them and pulled out the black cat onesie that had once been hers. "He needs to wear this," she said solemnly.

Marinette looked at the piece of clothing fondly. "Why does he **need** to wear this, sweet pea?"

"Because Ladybug needs her Chat Noir," she scoffed as she pointed at her own pajamas. The accompanying eyeroll she gave her mother would probably be a perfected nuisance by the time she was a teenager, but for now it amused Marinette.

"You're right," Marinette said as she swooped in and picked the little girl up. "Without Chat Noir, Ladybug is nothing."

Emma's face got very serious. "She's not nothing, maman. But she's missing all of herself when he's not around."

Marinette was taken aback by this statement and the truth her daughter had pronounced.

"When did you get to be so wise?" her mother demanded as they descended the stairs from her old room to join Papa and Hugo in the living room where they were facetiming Mémé Bien over the television screen.

"Ever since I turned four," Emma said with a giggle.

"Emma you'll be four _next_ month," Marinette laughed.

The little girl shrugged. "I'll be wise then."

She struggled down from her mother's grasp and ran to her grandfather who had been giving Hugo a bath in the kitchen sink. He was still in the process of drying the little one off when Emma grabbed at his pant leg to get his attention.

"Here, Papa," she said as she handed the black pajamas to the huge man. "Chat Noir needs to come out and play with his Ladybug."

Tom chuckled as he looked down at his eldest grandchild and took the soft garment from her.

"Is Ladybug here, so soon?" he asked in mock sincerity. "I thought we had to have an akuma before she shows up."

"There's going to be an akuma attack very, very soon," Emma said some urgency leaking into her voice. "Mama is missing Baba so much that she's going to have the purple butterfly come after her because of her broken heart."

At this declaration Marinette fell into a swoon on the couch. "Oh woe is me!" she declared. "My darling has fled the country with an older woman and now my heart is breaking." She started to cry in not very convincing sobs. "Boo hoo! And woe is me!" she repeated.

A gravelly voice from the direction of the television suddenly broke into the family game. "A broken hearted woman? Oh yes, perfect for my akuma. Fly away little papillion and evilize her!"

"Daddy you don't have to sound so scary," Emma pouted at the TV.

Adrien's head suddenly appeared in the screen. "Did I scare you Ladybug?"

"Never!" she declared as she quickly got back into their game. "Come on Chat Noir we have to fight off the akuma!"

"Chat Noir is coming as soon as I can get his leg into the right hole," Tom said as he wrestled with the squirming baby. "Plagg has a much easier time getting his chosen suited up than I do I'm afraid."

Adrien's laugh rang through the living room. "I'll have to tell him that when he wakes up."

Tikki took that moment to fly from her nest on the stereo speaker toward Marinette.

"Oh no," Emma shouted, "The butterfly is going to get her!" She raced over to her grandfather. "Is Chat ready yet?"

Tom held the smiling baby up for his sister to see.

"Chat Noir reporting for duty, captain." He made the baby do a slight bow. "What are your orders, My Lady?"

Emma looked around the apartment trying to find their Lucky Charm. Marinette heard Adrien's breath catch. She took a peek through her fingers and the expression on his face told her what he was thinking. He'd said often enough that it always took him by surprise when Emma would get her " coming up with a brilliant plan" look on her face. And from all of Alya's past Ladyblog videos, she recognized that the expression Emma wore was exactly the one he'd know so well from their akuma battles. She could see the moment she spotted her charm and had a battle plan formed.

"Okay Chat," Emma said as she pulled the step stool out of its place by the counter, "You go behind the akuma and pounce her. When she's down I'll lure the butterfly away with this cookie." She reached into the cookie jar that was always stocked with a couple of kinds of treats and pulled out one of Tikki's favorites.

"Got it, Ladybug," Tom gave his granddaughter a little salute and carefully mimed sneaking behind the crying akuma with the baby in front of him.

"Ladybug! Boo hoo," the akuma wailed. "Give me your Miraculous! Boo hoo!"

"Never!" Emma proclaimed. "Chat, now!"

Tom carefully lunged Hugo at his mother's back and as soon as Marinette felt his tiny hands clinging to her shirt she tipped forward in what she declared was slow-mo mode, knowing that her father was still holding Hugo securely. She ended up with the baby happily spending some tummy time on her back while Tikki flew off her shoulder toward Emma.

"Here you go, little butterfly" Emma said softly as she made a landing place for Tikki on one hand while holding out the cookie in the other.

"Oh thank you Ladybug!" Tikki squeaked as she received her treat. "I feel so much better. I don't want to evilize anyone anymore."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Emma yelled happily as Tikki took to the sky.

She ran over to her mother and Hugo as Papa Tom called, "Once more the day is saved by our brave heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"Come on Chat!" she held up a fist, but Hugo had a strong grip on Marinette's shirt.

"Here Lovebug," Papa Tom said as he reached forward a curled fist, "I'm part of Chat Noir, too you know."

Emma smiled. "Pound it!" she crowed.

Just then Marinette reached out an arm and grabbed her daughter by the middle. As she brought her to her side she started to give the girl a tight hug and lots of kisses.

"Mommy, stop!" Emma cried.

Marinette stopped immediately.

"Tickles?" the little girl asked.

Marinette felt Hugo removed from her back, so she sat up a little to give her daughter a proper tickle attack.

"Stop!"

Immediately everyone froze.

"Tickles!" she demanded.

And it all began over and over again.

Once the tickles and the hugs had been given out the two major players were a little breathless, they sat on the couch together under a blanket to recover. Papa Tom gave Hugo a bottle and Mémé told them about their flight and what their Japanese style hotel was like. She had to admit it was a little strange to be sitting under a kotatsu in Shanghai, but it was warm and cozy so she wasn't complaining. Their plans for tomorrow included a long bus ride, a short train trip, and possibly a very long walk if Mémé's relatives forgot about picking them up at the train station.

Emma and Mémé started yawning at about the same time.

"Isn't it rather late for you there?" Marinette asked her mother as she pulled the blanket up to Emma's shoulder.

Sabiene nodded and added, "But we're still a bit on Paris time so it doesn't seem that late."

"Story?" Emma begged. Another yawn stopped her from continuing.

"Do you have your book Emma?" Adrien asked as he held up his copy of her favorite story.

Marinette picked it up from the coffee table where it had been stationed all afternoon. She opened it up so that Emma and Tom could both easily see it.

"Are you being a good cuddle bug?" he asked his little girl.

She quickly made a show of snuggling up to Marinette.

He nodded and smiled then began to read, "Once upon a time in the land of Bakeree there lived a lovely girl known as the Muffin Maiden…"

She took a moment to look around at their family as he read. Marinette was curled up next to her father with Emma on her lap and Hugo softly snuffling against his Papa's shoulder. Her mother was tucked under the warm blanket of the table smiling at the picture on Adrien's laptop. Adrien's face shone down on them, larger than life, as he animated the story for their little girl. When she had started out as Ladybug, Marinette had never imagined that this would be her future. How was this her life?

Adrien read the whole story of the Muffin Maiden who helped save the kingdom of Bakeree with the help of an unknown man who went by the name Mister Stainless, even though by the end of of the story only he and Marinette were awake.

"I miss you Kitty," she said as they both laid down their books.

"I miss you too, Love."

Marinette sighed as she brushed the bangs out of Emma's face. "She looks so much like you when she's asleep," she murmured.

"Well she acts so much like you when she's awake," Adrien replied with a smirk.

Marinette chuckled. "That is too true." She took a sideway look at her father before commenting, "Baba is missing Mama something fierce."

"Well if it's anything like how Mama is missing Baba, then that is a considerable amount. All the time on the plane she was worried about him remembering to take his medicine, or turning off the ovens at night, or wearing the wrong socks. And all today it was 'Tom we need to … oh you're not Tom.' It was kind of fun the first two dozen times. I like being mistaken for Baba," he looked over at the sleeping woman and smiled. He leaned a little closer to his screen so she wouldn't hear him. "She will be a nervous wreck until she can see him again." He waggled his eyebrows. "Can't say as I blame her. I feel the same way about you."

Marinette smiled and blushed a little. "I love you, Mister Stainless."

"And I love you, My Muffin Maiden." He blew her a kiss and settled back to watch his family until sleep claimed him.

Marinette waited and watched as his breathing evened out, then sighed. She carefully moved so that she could get a good hold on Emma and picked her up.

"Put her in my room," Tom said quietly as Marinette stood, his eyes never fully opening.

"Don't you want your bed?" Marinette asked. They had already set up beds for her, Emma, and Hugo in her old room.

Tom shook his head. "I can't sleep in there without your mother snoring next to me." He gestured toward the screen. "At least this way I can see her."

"Okay, I'll put Emma down and be back for Hugo," Marinette said as she rounded the corner of the couch.

"No need," her father gently replied. "He'll wake up to eat right about the time I'll need to get up to start the bread." He gently patted his grandson's back. "I'll feed him and bring him to the room then. You might want to move his bassinet though."

Marinette crossed around the back of the couch to press a kiss to the top of her father's head. "Thanks Baba. You're my hero, you know."

He tilted his head back so he was looking upside down at the two girls and smiled. "Well it's the least I can do for Ladybug," he smiled at the man on the screen and the child on his chest, "and Chat Noir."


End file.
